Belrose: Details released of Lizard Rock plan for Aboriginal land to be transformed into 450-home redevelopment
A push has ramped up for 450 homes to be built on a Sydney bushland site owned by an Aboriginal land council as details of the plan emerge.
Manly
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Details of a contentious plan for 450-home subdivision in undeveloped bushland on the northern beaches, owned by an Aboriginal land council, have been revealed.
As well as free standing homes and townhouses up to 8.5m high, the “Lizard Rock” site at Belrose could also include an Aboriginal cultural community centre as well as shops, a supermarket and cafes.
It will also create close to 150 permanent local jobs, its supporters say.
In August the NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts approved the Northern Beaches Aboriginal Land Development Delivery Plan (DDP), which the Lizard Rock proposal is part of.
Now his Planning Department has received a proposal for the 71ha site along Morgan Rd owned by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC).
But local bush protection groups have vowed to continue protesting against the Lizard Rock proposal.
And Northern Beaches Council has slammed the state government bid to allow the redevelopment of what it described as environmentally-sensitive bushfire prone land.
More than 1100 public submissions were received when the DPP went on display earlier this year, canvassing issues including impact on bushland, traffic, infrastructure, open space, bushfires and Aboriginal heritage.
The MLALC has made it clear that as well as building homes, it wants to ensure the site’s significant environmental, and more than 20,000 years of Aboriginal, heritage is conserved.
In its report to the department, planning consultants Gyde stated that the proposed land use was developed after consultation with Aboriginal elders and the MLALC.
“It is also based on years of advanced investigations by a consortium of highly competent
and respected experts in the fields of flora and fauna biodiversity, bushfire management, transport planning, Aboriginal heritage, stormwater management and geotechnical surveying,” the report stated.
It said close to 20 per cent of the site, identified to have high ecological, scientific, cultural or aesthetic values, including three currently unprotected registered Aboriginal heritage sites, would be conserved.
MLALC CEO Nathan Moran said income earned from the housing development would help support programs for Aboriginal people including social housing, events and sponsorships.
Mr Moran said as well as adding to the housing supply on the northern beaches, the plan would also “protect the culture, heritage and the native traditional ecology of this area for the benefit of all into the future”.
There are plans for a timber boardwalk near several significant ancient rock carving sites within the property.
Other proposed details include pedestrian and cycle paths; picnic and BBQ areas, children’s playgrounds, lookouts and tree reserves; neighbourhood shops or supermarkets, food and drink premises, medical centre and office premises, as well as childcare facilities.
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said there must be alternative ways the NSW Government can support Aboriginal self-determination that did not result in “inappropriate development.”
“We have recommended a lease or similar arrangement (like National Parks buy it and incorporate into National Park) that will still provide ongoing income for the Land Council while protecting the land from development,” Cr Regan said on Monday.
“Council absolutely supports the spirit of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act which seeks to transfer unused Crown Land to Aboriginal Land Councils as recognition of past dispossession and to support self-determination.
“However, we continue to oppose this development and are disappointed the government has ignored our, and many community, submissions which raise serious issues relating to hazards and environmental impacts such as on threatened species, wetlands, waterways and core habitat, bushfire and evacuation risk, and infrastructure.
“This is no different from the State Governments Ingleside proposal that Council also knocked back and was ultimately supported by the State Govt in its decision.”
C Regan said the DPP also conflicted with many of the priorities and actions in the Greater Sydney Region Plan, North District Plan and Council’s Local Strategic Planning Statement, Towards 2040 and Local Housing Strategy.
“We are already achieving our housing targets and we don’t require the development of Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC) land at Lizard Rock to continue to achieve our housing targets.”
Community group, Save the Northern Beaches Bushlands, has vowed that the plan would be “ fought each and every step of the way”.
“We will continue to fight the good fight and protect and preserve our bushlands and wildlife here on the northern beaches,” it announced in a Facebook statement.
The Planning Department said it would prepare a report for independent review by the North District Strategic Planning Panel in December.
The panel will then make a recommendation to the Minister on whether the proposal should proceed and be put on public exhibition in 2023.
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